Trip to Iceland-Höfn
Last week we made our trip to Iceland for an Erasmus+ project. The trip started on Sunday morning in the capital of Iceland, Reykjavik. We went to the Aurora museum where we saw a slide show of the Northern lights photos and learned the way they were made. Our next destination was the Hallgrímskirkja church that we found very impressive, as in Greece there are no such churches.
The next morning the Icelandic teachers who were the drivers and the leaders of the meeting, took us and we began our route to Höfn. The first stop was at one of the hot springs of Iceland where the water evaporates because of the difference of the temperature between the water and the weather. Afterwards we stopped at one of the biggest Icelandic waterfalls that is named Skógafoss waterfall. For us, the most impressive stop was the last one. We saw icebergs for the first time in our lives. After a tiring trip for approximately 10 hours, we arrived at their school from which we were received by the host families.
Our first day in Höfn began with a presentation of the Icelandic students. It was about the sea and the deaths that happen in it (the sea gives and takes). After the presentation we visited a copy of a Viking Village and then we went to the ocean (to the black beach), where we played some Icelandic games all together. At night, after some hours of rest, we visited the public outdoor swimming pool whose water was heated by the hot springs of Höfn. The next day in the morning, we went to the school and saw a presentation of the Icelandic students again, but this time it was about elves, trolls and the Icelandic Christmas trolls. After the presentation we toured Höfn and then we went to the FabLab, a designing company with many labs where people could make pioneering things like music instruments, clothes etc. After that, we went to the fish factory where we saw people taking fish from the sea and with proper processes they reach our plate. We also learned that every twelve hours they produce 240.000.000 tons of fish.
The next day, we went to school and talked about the culture of Höfn. After that, we went to another waterfall, but this time we walked behind its water and admired the great view of the magical nature. Some bold students jumped into a frozen river and they swam. On our way back, a great barbeque was waiting for us and enjoyed our food together as a team. When we had our free time, we went to the youth center with the students. On the last day we saw a presentation about the education of Iceland and then we ate lunch. At noon, every country presented a piece of its culture, even if it was a traditional dance or a play. All the presentations were interesting and creative.
The last night we ate together at a restaurant and then we met at a house of one of the students that hosted us. We played some board games and talked to each other. The journey back was difficult mostly because of the weather, it took us many hours and we all had a bitter feeling because this beautiful trip had already come to an end.
In conclusion, the hosting families, the food and the activities were wonderful, and we don’t have any complaints except that we didn’t go sailing… Thank you for everything!
GREEK TEAM